Bad-Mouthing

All my family does is gossip! What do I do?

All my family does is gossip! I love them and they're good people (...and I can't pretend I don't join in or laugh when it's funny...) but it's such a problem. What do I do?

Lauren Roth's Answer

This is a really good question, because it’s universal. Everyone, at one point or another, disagrees with the paths/actions/opinions of his or her family. The million-dollar-question is: how do I handle that?

The answer depends on a lot of factors. The first factor to consider is the nature of your family members. Some of your family members might be the kind of people who are open to change and open to suggestions about changing themselves. Some of your family members might have fragile egos and/or live in denial (the two usually go together) and can never hear criticism directed at them without launching into long speeches denying their culpability for anything, ever. Those kinds of people most likely would not be good candidates for asking them to embark on a program of personal change.

Even if your family members are willing to hear constructive criticism about their behaviors, it’s smart to say it in a way that they can hear it. Let me explain what I mean.

When I was in my early 20’s, my husband and I had to decide which city to live in for a year while he did an internal medicine internship. I desperately wanted to do the year in Memphis, where I’m from. So I asked a wise older woman what to do, and she told me some of the best advice I’ve ever received. She said: “Wait for a time when he’s relaxed. Cook a nice meal, eat it together, have a nice time. Make sure he’s not too hungry or too tired. Then tell him, ‘You know, it would make me really happy if we spent that year in Memphis.’” I am pleased to report: we spent that year in Memphis!

How can that advice be translated into your family’s situation?

Wait for a time when the family member/s you want to talk to are relaxed. Do not have this conversation when everyone is running out the door to a meeting/to the first day of school/to soccer practice. Do not have this conversation when everyone is upset and riled up.

Do something nice for them that you know they like (let your sister borrow your iPod, help your parents around the house willingly and happily, take care of your younger siblings, compliment them on something they did well….)

Make sure they’re not hungry, tired, overwhelmed, stressed out, upset, or in any way agitated.

Then tell them, “You know, I’ve been thinking about it. I think maybe our family shouldn’t talk about other people. I don’t want to be a gossip!”

Notice how you said “I” and “I think” and “I don’t want to be…”, putting the emphasis on “this is only my opinion.” Even when you feel strongly that something is right, casting it as “this is only my opinion” helps the other party not be defensive. It helps the other party be more open to what you’re saying. If you strongly insist “My way is the ONLY way!”, they will probably dig their heels in and proclaim, “NO! I disagree!”

Even with my clients, who are paying me to give them advice, I have to say it in a way that they can hear it. If I would just tell them, “You are a gossip. It’s disgusting. You’d better stop, NOW!” They not only wouldn’t listen to my advice, they wouldn’t want a relationship with me, either. They’d never come back! Instead, I’m always saying, “I might be wrong. But I’m listening to you, and I’m hearing…[whatever my observation might be.]. What do you want to do about that? Again, I might be wrong. But I might be correct, so what do you want to do?” I don’t insist, and, probably, neither should you, if you want your family members to actually think about what you’re telling them.

The first step is telling them (but only if they are the kind of people who would be able to hear constructive criticism). The second step is, WHEN (not IF, but WHEN!) they gossip again: be still. Be still, be calm, be peaceful. Don’t fight them. Fighting, gangster-style, or bar-brawl-style, only begets belligerence and fighting back.

A better approach is the still, calm, centered, contented tack. Stay calm, recognize that gossiping is occurring, and deftly change the subject. “Oh! I just remembered I heard the most amazing story!” And launch into the telling. (You’ll have to have a few stories or jokes or interesting anecdotes up your sleeve at all times. Maybe carry around note cards—ha!) Or recognize that gossiping is occurring, stay calm, and just kind of smile a gentle smile and say nothing, then gently get up to go to the bathroom—and linger there.

Another way: I have a friend who’s really good at ignoring gossip in conversation—and totally engaging with the people around her otherwise. She’s very gregarious and friendly and vivacious, and as soon as someone gossips about someone else, she just gets quiet and it’s as if she didn’t even hear. So the conversation just stops, until she—or someone else—starts it again, sans the nastiness. (By the way, this latter approach would be the way to go with those family members who can’t hear any constructive criticism.)

I applaud your wanting to do the right thing. It is really important not to talk about other people, especially negatively. It’s also important to balance not gossiping and not listening to gossip with being kind to your family. You should never yell at your family or degrade them—just as you shouldn’t stand their doing that to others.

Of course, remember the cardinal rule: you usually can’t change anyone else; the only person you can change for sure is yourself. Because you wrote to me asking this question, I know you know it’s wrong to join in or laugh with them when they’re trashing someone. It takes strength to change ourselves, and even more strength when we’re going it alone. But there’s no better feeling than doing the right thing, especially when it’s hard to do.

About the Author

Lauren Roth, MSW, LSW, is a graduate of Princeton University, and an inspirational speaker across North America and on the high seas. Mrs. Roth and her husband, Rabbi Dr. Daniel Roth, are the parents of six children.

The opinions expressed in the comment section are the personal views of the commenters. Comments are moderated, so please keep it civil.

Visitor Comments: 4

(4)
Anonymous,
September 5, 2014 1:33 PM

Welcome To The Wonderful World Of Jewish Families

Welcome to the wonderful world of Jewish families. I had an great-aunt and great-uncle who only wanted to gossip. I listened to their nonsense but never contributed to ti even when asked. Then they wondered why none of their other nieces and nephews ever called them. My parents and sister were constantly telling me not to tell certain things to my Bubbe (grandmother) and aunt. Bubbe and aunt loved to ask questions. And I usually pleaded ignorance to everything. I tried explaining to my aunt that on a Sunday my father woke up hours before me and did not have to account to me. He could have been one of about ten places and my mother knew where he was. This was before cell phones made it possible to harass and annoy people 24/7. It was also before people started sharing every thought and movement on social media. A lot of goyim (gentiles) think Jewish families are ethnic versions of the Brady Bunch. I beg to differ.

(3)
brura,
September 5, 2014 12:10 AM

Chofetz Chaim

The Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation publishes books on Chofetz Chaim's great writings regarding appropriate speech. The slippery slopes that our words take us can be countered with the study of these great works. Worth the effort to make a daily reading time and study every day. It is something to aspire to... the non-offensive words. The offensive words are as harmful to our souls and lives and to others as well, that it equates a death knell as bad as a bomb or bullet from any kind of physical attack. Invest in the pocket edition and carry it. There is a different passage for each day and each book lasts based on the calendar for several years as the lunar and Gregorian line up. More than just interesting, it is a must read to find out about good and appropriate speech and that which is not.

(2)
Charis,
September 4, 2014 10:25 AM

Gossip isn't always bad . . .

Do you know where the word "gossip" came from? It is a shortened form of "God's siblings". These were the ladies who helped with women who were "lying-in" (to use an old term) i.e. were in labour. In those dark days before anaesthetics and caesarians, when childbirth could be days of agony with no guarantee of a healthy (or even live) baby or mother at they end of it, the "God's siblings" would take the mother's mind off her pain and anxiety by getting all of the village news and telling it to her so that she had something to occupy herself with whilst she was stuck indoors racked with contractions (which of course, would eventually get to a stage when even news of the Kardashians wouldn't help - but she'd have other stuff on her mind by then.)

Robert Dunbar ("Grooming, gossip and the evolution of language") suggests that gossip plays the very important function of bonding a group together, and had an evolutionary advantage. While the men of a tribe were off hunting (meaning that they benefitted from being strong and silent), the women would seek and gather other foodstuffs. Being able and willing to share information as to where there was a lovely tree full of fruit, or a colony of delicious ground-nesting birds was a huge survival advantage. Similarly, being able to tell each other where the quicksands and the tigers were lurking helped keep the tribe alive. Sharing both the information and the food bonded the women together and eventually developed into the rich and multifaceted language we have today. This also explains why men traditionally don't talk much, and us girls never shut up! :)

Gossip can serve to bring people together just as much as it can serve to shut others out - I think that as long as we use our power of gossip only for good, it is a wonderful gift that God has blessed us with.

(1)
Anonymous,
September 1, 2014 1:02 PM

Great article! Thank you for sharing.

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My nephew is having his bar mitzvah and I am thinking of a gift. In the old days, the gift of choice was a fountain pen, then a Walkman, and today an iPod. But I want to get him something special. What do you suggest?

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

Since this event celebrates the young person becoming obligated in the commandments, the most appropriate gift is, naturally, one that gives a deeper understanding of the Jewish heritage and enables one to better perform the mitzvot! (An iPod, s/he can get anytime.)

With that in mind, my favorite gift idea is a tzedakah (charity) box. Every Jew should have a tzedakah box in his home, so he can drop in change on a regular basis. The money can then be given to support a Jewish school or institution -- in your home town or in Israel (every Jews’ “home town”). There are beautiful tzedakah boxes made of wood and silver, and you can see a selection here.

For boys, a really beautiful gift is a pair of tefillin, the black leather boxes which contain parchments of Torah verses, worn on the bicep and the head. Owning a pair of Tefillin (and wearing them!) is an important part of Jewish identity. But since they are expensive (about $400), not every Bar Mitzvah boy has a pair. To make sure you get kosher Tefillin, see here.

In 1944, the Nazis perpetrated the Children's Action in the Kovno Ghetto. That day and the next, German soldiers conducted house-to-house searches to round up all children under age 12 (and adults over 55) -- and sent them to their deaths at Fort IX. Eventually, the Germans blew up every house with grenades and dynamite, on suspicion that Jews might be in hiding in underground bunkers. They then poured gasoline over much of the former ghetto and incinerated it. Of the 37,000 Jews in Kovno before the Holocaust, less than 10 percent survived. One of the survivors was Rabbi Ephraim Oshri, who later published a stirring collection of rabbinical responsa, detailing his life-and-death decisions during the Holocaust. Also on this date, in 1937, American Jews held a massive anti-Nazi rally in New York City's Madison Square Garden.

In a letter to someone who found it difficult to study Torah, the 20th century sage the Chazon Ish wrote:

"Some people find it hard to be diligent in their Torah studies. But the difficulty persists only for a short while - if the person sincerely resolves to submerge himself in his studies. Very quickly the feelings of difficulty will go away and he will find that there is no worldly pleasure that can compare with the pleasure of studying Torah diligently."

Although actions generally have much greater impact than thoughts, thoughts may have a more serious effect in several areas.

The distance that our hands can reach is quite limited. The ears can hear from a much greater distance, and the reach of the eye is much farther yet. Thought, however, is virtually limitless in its reach. We can think of objects millions of light years away, and so we have a much greater selection of improper thoughts than of improper actions.

Thought also lacks the restraints that can deter actions. One may refrain from an improper act for fear of punishment or because of social disapproval, but the privacy of thought places it beyond these restraints.

Furthermore, thoughts create attitudes and mindsets. An improper action creates a certain amount of damage, but an improper mindset can create a multitude of improper actions. Finally, an improper mindset can numb our conscience and render us less sensitive to the effects of our actions. We therefore do not feel the guilt that would otherwise come from doing an improper act.

We may not be able to avoid the occurrence of improper impulses, but we should promptly reject them and not permit them to dwell in our mind.

Today I shall...

make special effort to avoid harboring improper thoughts.

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